BlackBerry Curve 8900 review

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 from Research in Motion is available on O2, and is the 'thinnest and lightest' BlackBerry smartphone to date.

By
Keith Shaw
| Feb 11, 2009| IDG News Service

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RIM (BlackBerry) BlackBerry Curve 8900 Specs

Mobile phone handset

35 key backlit QWERTY keyboard

2.4in 480x360 pixel color display

camera (3.2 MP)

802.11b/g enabled

Bluetooth 2.0

built-in GPS

email

SMS

MMS

Media Player

Video Recording

109x60x13.5mm

109g

RIM (BlackBerry) BlackBerry Curve 8900 Price

RRP: £391 on pay as you go ,Free on £35 to £40 monthly contracts

Along with the regular push email features seen on every other BlackBerry, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 includes a 2.4in display (480 by 360 pixels), built-in GPS and Wi-Fi, an expandable memory slot (up to 16GB supported via microSD/SDHC), an advanced multimedia player with streaming video support, and a 3.2Mp digital camera (plus video recording features).

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is UMA-enabled, which allows users to make phone calls over a Wi-Fi connection.

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 feels a lot less bulky than other BlackBerry devices that feature the full qwerty-style keypad. It doesn't feel like anything was compromised in order to make the device lighter - the screen is still big enough and the trackball navigation is the same as other devices.

The system also comes with a new Charging Pod, which lets users place their device on their desktop in order to recharge via the power cable (the BlackBerry Curve 8900 will also recharge via the regular USB cable). The battery life on the device is pretty good - we were able to run for about three days of moderate data usage before we noticed that the device needed a recharge.

The testing unit came with some very cool applications for the BlackBerry as well, including SlingPlayer Mobile (connect to a Slingbox to watch TV over the network), and FlyCast (listen to streaming audio and internet radio stations over the network). Those apps worked best when connected via Wi-Fi.

OUR VERDICT

Especially for users with good Wi-Fi coverage, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is a solid BlackBerry (and lighter, too).